Strengths: Virtually unknown outside of Vermont before this election,
he used the Internet to generate both buzz and money for his campaign. Plus,
he’s made himself extremely accessible to the press, so he’s gotten a lot of
coverage. Now that the word is out about him, he’s a favorite of many liberal
activists. He is outspoken and speaks his mind, especially about not liking
Bush’s policies—some see this as a strength, while others see it as a weakness.

Weaknesses: He could lose centrist Democratic voters who are more middle
of the road on certain policy issues. Religious groups could also unite against
him because they think he is too liberal. In addition, he favors enforcing current
federal gun laws. He thinks states should decide what, if any, additional gun-safety laws they want. Many Democrats, who often support strict gun laws, think
this position is too lenient. He also supports welfare reform, which is often
a Republican position.

Best Issues: He wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts. He wants to use those
funds to extend health coverage to every uninsured child and young adult up
to age 25. He also supports civil rights. A major civil rights issue that he
supports is affirmative action.

“[The Bush administration] has created a crisis for American workers and brought
financial disaster to more and more American families,” says Dean. “They are
the victims of an unfair, misguided economic policy. Never has a President talked
so much about jobs while doing so much to destroy them.”